Taylor Barratt in Facilitation: Revealing the Really Real

Who is Taylor Barratt beyond the facilitator? John Vervaeke, Taylor Barratt, and Ethan Hsieh explore Taylor’s relationship with practice and theory. This session was originally recorded in front of a live audience on Sunday, April 26, 2026. John Vervaeke joins Taylor Barratt and Ethan Hsieh for the second conversation in a three-part series on theory, practice, and the relationship between them. If you would like to attend the next recording, please sign up for either The Lectern, Awaken to Meaning, or 5ToMidnight newsletters to be informed: https://lectern.johnvervaeke.com/ https://www.5tomidnight.org/contact https://awakentomeaning.com/contact-us/ Taylor, John, and Ethan explore how practice can reveal what theory alone cannot. Taylor reflects on his journey from structured, logical thinking into authentic relating, circling, and facilitation. The conversation follows how practice, feedback, and shared inquiry can help reveal what is real, what is useful, and what needs correction. They examine: • why different frameworks can point toward the same truth • how practice helps theory become more grounded • why collective intelligence matters in designing practices • how feedback helps facilitators avoid fooling themselves • the difference between facilitation and leadership • how to balance structure, emergence, and participant wisdom This episode is the second in a three-part series exploring theory-to-practice, practice-to-theory, and the relationship between them. If you would like to join John, Taylor, and Ethan in practice, all three of them will be facilitating TIAMAT Tier 1 in Toronto this May: More info here: https://awakentomeaning.com/tiamat-training-program-in-toronto-2026/ Taylor and Ethan will be in Los Angeles: More info here: https://awakentomeaning.com/tiamat-transformation-through-play-los-angeles/ Explore courses and teachings from The Lectern: https://lectern.johnvervaeke.com/courses 00:00 Welcome to the Lectern 02:00 Taylor Barratt in focus 03:00 Same truths, different language 05:00 What realness feels like 08:00 Beauty and rightness 10:00 Being called into practice 12:00 From structure to lived experience 14:30 When theory becomes useful 18:00 Designing practices together 21:00 Why you cannot check yourself alone 24:00 Feedback and blind spots 26:00 Generative dependence 27:30 Designing for people not in the room 29:00 Leading versus facilitating 31:00 Trust, control, and letting go 33:00 How do we know a practice is good? 36:00 Feedback, impact, and transformation 39:00 Tracking the room 42:00 Landing, aliveness, and meaning 45:00 Structure and emergence 47:00 Honoring participant wisdom 49:00 Learning while teaching John Vervaeke: https://johnvervaeke.com/ https://twitter.com/drjohnvervaeke https://www.youtube.com/@johnvervaeke https://www.patreon.com/johnvervaeke